2010-11-28 Framing Started

Despite of the snow and cold weather, I paid a visit to the construction site today.

The foundation wall is completed with back filled soil.  The power panel is installed along with the ATCO Gas Line.  The materials, such as stair cases, have arrived.  Now, the framing is officially started:

After the site visit, I went to movie with Amy.  We saw Harry Potter - Part 1 which is a new movie.  It was very popular and so it was a full house; thereby we went in 20 min earlier to grab good seats.   Certainly,  the movie was great with many special effects and intriguing story plot.  We will go to see Part 2 when it comes out in the summer next year...

I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to Amy and her parents for the lovely Egyptian oil bottle (from her recent Egypt trip) and helping me to buy my beloved Japanese lipsticks and Korean water mask from Hong Kong (our home town).  Greatly appreciate!!!!

2010-11-27 Lighting Fixtures

It was a great accomplishment!  Dad and I first selected lighting fixtures at Cartwright and then finalized appliances at Trail in 1 day.   Dad and I also went to lunch at Boston Pizza (BP) for pizza and salad.

An interesting event happened at BP.  A couple of Canadian man and woman came in for coffee and pizza.  After they finished their coffee, their pizza was not ready yet.  The man was upset and the woman asked for more coffee.  When the pizza finally came out, the man was more upset as he said the pizza was cold.  The BP manager came out and tried to cool down the situation.  In any case, the man and woman walked out!  They were certainly a strange couple...

So, here is a list of lighting fixtures...  This bowl looking lamp is selected for the staircase:

A pair of kitchen island pendants is my favorite - red and marble glass style:

When it is turned on, it glows beautifully (this picture is a smaller version of the above pendants):

My great room and bonus room have a combo of fan and lighting fixtures.  They are in silver/grey color:

For the exterior, I selected a mixture of pot light, ball shaped lamp and Japanese-garden-looking lamps:

For the dinning area, I have many pot lights with a dimmer.   For the rest of the main floor, I selected the elegant shell shaped lamps (3 light bulbs):

Last but not least, the bathrooms have the simple marble styled lamps (3 light bulbs):

After the lighting fixture selection and BP lunch, we went to Trail Appliances.  Trail is offering a 36th anniversary special.  Perfect timing!  I switched the standard dishwasher from Whirlpool to Frigidaire; thereby I got a more powerful dishwasher and some credit back as a result of it.

I also took the bonus offer on the Whirlpool water softener; thereby I got the Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System for free.  However, the installation for the water softener and drinking water system is extra.

Furthermore, I ordered the Vacuflo because Bridget confirmed that she has the standard Vacu-maid which is not working well for her.  Her advice is always great to take!  Again, the installation is extra too!

2010-11-25 Interior Selection

After visiting the interior selection studio the 3rd time, all interior goodies are selected for my new house.  Dad and I were there for > 3-hour today.  We had a lot of fun!

In total, I was there for > 10 hours.  I was there with Mom (the 1st session), with Jade (the 2nd session) and now with Dad.

A very big thanks to Tamara to help us in these wonderful sessions.   We are so lucky to have her help throughout the interior selection.  Not only she is knowledgeable and experienced, but she is also patience and approachable.

Here is the overall selection:

The bling bling glass blocks certainly stay in the kitchen back slash.  They are the lovely accent to the wall tiles.  To highlight the importance of my guests, the glass blocks will be in the powder room on the main floor too...  Should I also put them to the ensuite and main bath on the 2nd floor?  They are upgrade that I really want!!

My mom's pick from our 1st session:  The granite counter top color stays -- Kashmir White, looking just like the show home (standard):

The kitchen cabinet and bathroom cabinet also stay -- Maple wood and dark stain, looking just like the show home (standard):

The kitchen back slash tiles are nautilus (upgrade) - shiny and smooth with a nice Navajo Brown color edge:

The carpet (standard) continues to be cream/beige color for the 2nd floor and stairs:

The hardwood (standard) is still the lovely oak charcoal throughout the kitchen, nook and great room on the main floor:

However, the floor tiles (standard) are now changed to cream/white - simple and elegant with Light Almond color edge.  They will be in the mud room, entry lobby, and bathrooms throughout the house.

The fireplace is edged with bling bling glass blocks (upgrades) on the left and right.  Then, it is surrounded with dark brown tiles (standard) and Chocolate color edge:

The registers will be white (standard) for tiled areas.  On the other hand, the registers are upgraded to a light brown color for hardwood and carpet areas:

The stairs are oak (standard) with the same stain color as the kitchen cabinet.  The spindles are 2 x blank and 1 x knot iron rod pattern (standard).  They are complimented with a nice cabin-looking-top cap (standard) on the plain oak pole (standard) which has the same stain color as the kitchen cabinet.

The pantry will have 4 levels of shelves in white (standard).  For strong support, I upgraded with two poles in the middle so that they can hold heavy glasses and bottles.

The walk-in closet will be the white wiring shelf (standard), whereas the pole is added as an upgrade for the guest closet...

Of course, my house will have security alarms and monitoring (upgrade).

In terms of color, Dad and I selected two wall colors (standard) and one trim color from the Cloverdale Paint:  http://www.cloverdalepaint.com/home_owners/colours_design/colour_palette.htm

The first color is Bamboo Beach 8457.  This is the primary color throughout the main floor and majority of the 2nd floor.  I love this color being natural and soothing.

The second color is Gypsum Gap 8753.  This is the secondary color for a few locations:  Bonus room, master bedroom, ensuite, walk-in closet and bathroom for the 2nd floor.  I really like this lavender or dark plum color.

Last but not least, the trim color is off white.  It is called Dream Nights which is labeled with OW159 or Deck 6-59.

I shall now pay a visit to the site and take more pictures...

2010-11-24 Winter Tires

Boy, it was cold this week!  We had -29 today with windchill down to -33 this morning.  I recall I was in Beijing visiting Summer Palace, Great Wall, Bird Nest, and many wonderful sight seeing attractions last Nov on this very same day.  I miss traveling!

Anyway, this is the day when I brought my car for winter tires.  Sure enough, it was a 4 hour wait and 1.5 hour auto service.  Dad and I left our place at 6:30 am and didn't leave Kal-Tire until almost 2 pm!  Of course, it took me another hour or so to get home.

During the wait, the good thing is that Dad and I paid a visit to Mac shop and played the iPad.  I really need one and want two - craving, craving, craving.   OK, Jade; I take your advice and wait until the iPad next generation is out.

In addition to Mac shop, we also shopped at Chinook and enjoyed lunch, cinnamon bun, and our favorite coffee:  Caramel Corretto

Overall, the customer services were great at Kal-Tire (Thanks Kevin to let me know his pick), but the cost was much higher than other places, such as Honda West.  They said the winter tire package special finished in early Nov.  And, I needed the tires now...  so I had to go with it.  Honda West still has a good deal if you need winter tires, but the earliest appointment is in the 2nd week of December.  How can I wait?  I guess I was too busy at work last month and couldn't book time for this important yearly event.

Having said that, special thanks to Murray, Sue and Krista to look after my pre-booked business meeting at work so that I did not have to drive back to downtown after winter tires mounting.  Thank you very much!

I bumped into a news about hot yoga and would share it here because it has a few do and don't for hot yoga.  Interesting!  http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Beat+heat/3868458/story.html

Better go for dinner now.  I will go to bed early tonight so that I will get up early tomorrow morning to visit my builder selection studio...   Boy, it will be another long drive to SE...

2011-11-21 Dad is Home

On Friday, I stayed at work until 8:30 pm.  It was a busy week with many due dates coming up this month.    Since my office tower is environmental friendly, the ceiling lights are turned off automatically when there is no motion.  Sure enough, I had to walk out of my desk once in awhile to keep the lights on.  Fortunately, the cab ride was pretty smooth and got me home safely.

On Saturday, I had to shuffle the snow which I did not do in the past few days.  The snow was over a foot high!  Then, I did my routines - grocery and banking.   I also bought the yoga pass for 25 classes nearby my place.   I actually have a 20-pass card at another location for hot yoga but it is a bit of a drive, especially in the winter.  Thereby, I had to find an alternative.  Well, how can one live without yoga?  The more the merrier!

After I got home, I realized that my boss (Wade) left me a VM.  So, I promptly called him back but I caught him at a bad time.  He said his brother-in-law showed up unexpectedly.  So, we made arrangement to talk on Sunday.

Dad came back to Calgary at about 8:30 pm.  It was a long flight but he said he had a good sleep on the plane and so his jet lag is not too bad.  He brought me back a pink hot water kettle (made in Japan) and a few sets of pajama.

On Sunday, I tried out the yoga nearby my place.   I must say their floor is very clean in the studio and I love the scented candles & soft music.  The parking was great as there were not too many students show up at 9:30 am class.    I don't blame them when it is -20 outside!   The class has about 15 students and only 1is a male student!  He is a brave dude in the class...

Then, I went to shop for more food as my brother's family came for lunch/dinner.  My car, without winter tires, is very bad in this condition.  I almost got stuck at the stop sign.  After a few tries, I was able to go through the passage.  Bridget is so right.  I need winter tires...  I did call Honda West and the earliest appointment is Dec 7 and so I thought I would just call around, Costco.  Boy, I should have done it in October.

My boss called me in the early afternoon and we went over his presentation materials for an hour.  He was actually at the office reviewing and finalizing materials.  I am glad that I did not have to go back to the office.

I better go and surf for the Las Vegas shows, events, tours.  Jade and I are planning a trip to LV in Dec.  I love traveling and it would be wonderful to escape into a warmer city...

2010-11-14 Fireplace

What do you think of this fireplace arrangement in an Open To Below great room?  And, the accent right above the fireplace is quite elegant, eh?!

This is a picture from an interior design book, and I am thinking to make it as a copy-cat at my new place.

2010-11-14 Basement

I am glad that the basement and foundation walls are done before the winter comes...  We expect snow coming this week.

The tar is applied - stinky!

The front side basement window prep is done too...

2010-11-11 Tiles

Thinking, thinking, thinking...

Thinking:  Beige tiles (in the left of this picture) for kitchen back slash.

Thinking:  Grey tiles (in the middle of this picture) for the lobby, main floor bathroom, and mud room.

Thinking:  Beige/white tiles (in the right of this picture) for second floor bathrooms.

2010-11-10 Glass Accent

Here are some bling bling selection...  I like them a lot but it appears that they are not so contemporary!  What can I do?

Here is a glass strip - perfect accent for kitchen backsplash tiles:

Here is another glass strip - perfect accent for kitchen backsplash tiles and fireplace:

2010-11-10 Trail Appliances

Refrigerator (upgrade to Kitchen Aid with freezer at the bottom):

Flat top stove and oven (standard in Whirlpool):

Hood fan (upgrade from 150 cfm to 220 cfm in stainless steel color):

Dishwasher (standard in Whirlpool in stainless steel color):

Microwave (standard in Panasonic with stainless steel trim):

Washer and dryer (upgrade to Maytag in red color):

Water softener (upgrade to Whirlpool for a max of 3 people in a household - the same model as in Mom&Dad's place): 

Central vacuum (I am still thinking if I should get this one or builder model at a lower price):

Have you heard of Vacu-maid?  This is a builder vacuum and it costs 40% less than the Vacuflo.  Decision, decision, decision!!

2010-11-10 Interior Selection

Andy just asked me to switch tiles to rectangle.  I have to think about ripple effects to other upgrades.  In any case, I have 2 weeks to think about it until the next interior selection appointment.  Here is the selection so far...


Kitchen cabinet door style and color (standard):

Cabinet door handle with bright silver color (standard):

Granite counter top (standard):

Kitchen sink faucet with a spray (standard):

Exterior door knob (standard):

Interior door knob with bright silver color (upgrade):

Door style (standard):

Pantry door (standard):

Door trim (standard):

Sink on the main floor (upgrade):

Sink on the 2nd floor (standard): 

Bathroom shower/faucet (upgrade):

Bathroom accessories (standard):

2010-11-09 Foundation

Mom just had the eye exam today (2-week posted the surgery).  Her eye is OK, but there may be another laser fix for the 20/20 result.  The recovery is quite well and the next appointment is scheduled with the doctor in early December.

Here is a photo from the construction site last weekend.   They are just prep work for the foundation wall:

I just brought a new book, The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown today.  Will enjoy it tonight...

Better run now!